SALT LAKE CITY (AP) – A state Republican lawmaker and a son of Utah billionaire Jon Huntsman Sr. were named Aug. 29 as some of the newest board members of LGBTQ-rights group Equality Utah.
Sen. Steve Urquhart and James Huntsman were named to Equality Utah’s Board of Directors.
Urquhart, who is not running for re-election his year, was the sponsor of Utah’s 2015 anti-discrimination law protecting gay and transgender people from being fired or denied housing.
Earlier this year, he unsuccessfully tried to pass legislation to toughen Utah’s hate crimes law to allow higher penalties if a crime was motivated based on a victim’s sexual orientation, gender identity, race or other protected traits. He also sponsored a bill that would have ended the death penalty in Utah, but the effort stalled on the last night of the legislative session.
Urquhart, a lawyer, represented the St. George area in the Legislature but has recently relocated to Salt Lake City with his family.
“We’ve made progress, but the promise of liberty and justice is not yet a reality for LGBTQ Utahns,” Urquhart said in a statement. “I am excited to continue battling as a member of Equality Utah’s Board.”
Huntsman, who started film sales company Blue Fox Entertainment, is one of wealthy industrialist Jon Huntsman Sr.’s nine children. James Huntsman spent 20 years at his father’s Huntsman Corporation.
As a teenager in 1987, he was kidnapped at knifepoint from his driveway and forced to call his father to arrange a $1 million ransom. He was later rescued by FBI agents.
In a statement released by Equality Utah, Huntsman said he’s thrilled to join an organization that represents those who are marginalized.
He’s also a board member of World Trade Center Utah and the Utah Art and Culture Business Alliance.
Equality Utah also announced Monday that tax attorney Michelle Turpin, a co-founder Equality Utah and the Utah Pride Center, was also named to Equality Utah’s board.
